£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my …£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my electricity bill. Can't understand why anyone would spend that much money to have a different colour light in their house. It would take years to recoup this money via energy saving compared to a normal bulb.Am I wrong? Please let me know. I'm not having a go at the op as a deal is a deal but have we all gone bananas?

Go to sleep, it's 6 bulbs

20th Nov

20th Nov

£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my electricity bill. Can't understand why anyone would spend that much money to have a different colour light in their house. It would take years to recoup this money via energy saving compared to a normal bulb.Am I wrong? Please let me know. I'm not having a go at the op as a deal is a deal but have we all gone bananas?

40 Comments

20th Nov

£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my electricity bill. Can't understand why anyone would spend that much money to have a different colour light in their house. It would take years to recoup this money via energy saving compared to a normal bulb.Am I wrong? Please let me know. I'm not having a go at the op as a deal is a deal but have we all gone bananas?

£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my …£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my electricity bill. Can't understand why anyone would spend that much money to have a different colour light in their house. It would take years to recoup this money via energy saving compared to a normal bulb.Am I wrong? Please let me know. I'm not having a go at the op as a deal is a deal but have we all gone bananas?

£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my …£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my electricity bill. Can't understand why anyone would spend that much money to have a different colour light in their house. It would take years to recoup this money via energy saving compared to a normal bulb.Am I wrong? Please let me know. I'm not having a go at the op as a deal is a deal but have we all gone bananas?

You can say this about everything though. I'd never dream of spending £1k for a TV but value is in the eyes of the purchaser.

£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my …£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my electricity bill. Can't understand why anyone would spend that much money to have a different colour light in their house. It would take years to recoup this money via energy saving compared to a normal bulb.Am I wrong? Please let me know. I'm not having a go at the op as a deal is a deal but have we all gone bananas?

£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my …£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my electricity bill. Can't understand why anyone would spend that much money to have a different colour light in their house. It would take years to recoup this money via energy saving compared to a normal bulb.Am I wrong? Please let me know. I'm not having a go at the op as a deal is a deal but have we all gone bananas?

I agree to some extent and I am a Philips Hue owner. I'd never pay £50 a bulb and instead I wait for deals before purchasing, but it is a great system. As has been said, for some people they will happily pay and others won't

Edited by: "andrewp" 20th Nov

20th Nov

I am like the comment above I wait for the deals but the bulbs are much more than colour changing bulbs they do a lot more. I use as a security system . Led bulbs are so much cheaper in the long run and last at lot longer . They are more expensive to buy but you save £1000s in the long term . If your not going to be purchasing smart bulbs at least change to led ones

20th Nov

20th Nov

Heat added. Was waiting for a 3 for 2 deal. For my new conservatory i need 9 gu10 colour bulbs. 3 for 2 of Argos and maplin never had 9 bulbs in stock Amazon was doing 4 for 3. ‌

£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my …£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my electricity bill. Can't understand why anyone would spend that much money to have a different colour light in their house. It would take years to recoup this money via energy saving compared to a normal bulb.Am I wrong? Please let me know. I'm not having a go at the op as a deal is a deal but have we all gone bananas?

£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my …£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my electricity bill. Can't understand why anyone would spend that much money to have a different colour light in their house. It would take years to recoup this money via energy saving compared to a normal bulb.Am I wrong? Please let me know. I'm not having a go at the op as a deal is a deal but have we all gone bananas?

They are so much more than just colour changing bulbs. They are a great security feature when linked with other devices like nest cam ect.

20th Nov

Not sure whether to bite or hold out for a better deal that might include sensors and dimmers etc. I think I need 12 GU10s

£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my …£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my electricity bill. Can't understand why anyone would spend that much money to have a different colour light in their house. It would take years to recoup this money via energy saving compared to a normal bulb.Am I wrong? Please let me know. I'm not having a go at the op as a deal is a deal but have we all gone bananas?

Look, you don't like them. That's fine, but don't question those who do, and are prepared to pay for them. It's their money, their choice what they do with it. I'm sure there are things that you spend money on that people could question.

20th Nov

Just seen that Amazon have updated their prices to £39.99 for the twin pack. So I've ordered from John Lewis, thanks.

I was given these as a gift. They were a novelty for a couple of weeks with the kids, now we only use them as basic white lightbulbs. Total waste of money. There are much cheaper Chinese equivalents now for around £7 a bulb. Phillips need to drop their excessive prices.

20th Nov

Are the GU10s bright enough? Only 250 lumens....most LEDs are 300+ as a minimum

20th Nov

They have the new e14s aswell I need a few of these. Anyone had any experience of them. Ive heard they are not as bright.

£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my …£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my electricity bill. Can't understand why anyone would spend that much money to have a different colour light in their house. It would take years to recoup this money via energy saving compared to a normal bulb.Am I wrong? Please let me know. I'm not having a go at the op as a deal is a deal but have we all gone bananas?

Taking an average of 3 hours bulb use a day at 60W. An incandescent bulb will cost about £10 a year to run. Led at 10W about £1.50.So if an LED colour changing bulb costs £55, it would be about 6.5 years to break even.

In that time you’ve had greater flexibility and utility of your bulb. Also that doesn’t include replacing the incandescent every year or 2.

Smart homes add utility if you want it. It isn’t the cheapest way to save energy but it is more fun. As an example my house for Halloween had changing light effects across the garage, porch and front room. I can’t do that with fixed colour bulbs.

I get the cost implications but 100 fags cost £50 in 5 days. A bottle of wine a night is £3 upwards. 2 weeks you have a bulb. I don’t smoke and rarely drink at home.

Are the GU10s bright enough? Only 250 lumens....most LEDs are 300+ as a …Are the GU10s bright enough? Only 250 lumens....most LEDs are 300+ as a minimum

I'd like to invest in more of the colour changing ones, but they are a lot longer than standard gu10s and sit quite proud from my recessed fittings. Besides aesthetics, it means you can't clip them in place.

I'd like to invest in more of the colour changing ones, but they are a lot …I'd like to invest in more of the colour changing ones, but they are a lot longer than standard gu10s and sit quite proud from my recessed fittings. Besides aesthetics, it means you can't clip them in place.

I'm more worried about the GU10s not being bright at all. Some reviews do say they are not very bright. I like white light which on these bulbs is 200lumens.

£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my …£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my electricity bill. Can't understand why anyone would spend that much money to have a different colour light in their house. It would take years to recoup this money via energy saving compared to a normal bulb.Am I wrong? Please let me know. I'm not having a go at the op as a deal is a deal but have we all gone bananas?

I get what you are saying, they aren't cheap. However, it is actually 6 bulbs (still expensive I know) but there is a lot you are missing here. I have Hue all over my house now, because they regularly come up in offers and it is easy to add additional bulbs over time. Whilst certainly not cheap, it is quite easy to save a fortune picking them up in the deals over time.

These obviously require a hub but that also has advantages. First off, the hub works without internet connection, whereas a lot of the cheap Chinese wifi (hubless) bulbs require an internet connection to work. Additionally, you can connect any compatible Zigbee Light Link (an official standard) bulb, so recently when Amazon had the Osram Lightify Colour bulbs for a tenner, I bought a couple and they connected to the bridge fine.

I use a home automation controller (it runs on my home server, called Domoticz) so I now have cheap non Hue motion sensors in every room (made these DIY from Arduinos after learning about mysensors.org which is amazing if you want to start creating your own devices from scratch). When a motion sensor is triggered, if it is half hour before sunset or after sunrise, the light comes on. If there is no movement detected for a set time, the light goes off. Only reason I started all this was because the kids never turned off a light in the house! I also now have a sensor at my front door, so that when motion is detected at my door, the hallway light comes on in the house for 3 minutes. Useful for getting in at night. The point I am making is that Hue has a really good API to interact with the system so there is already a lot out there you can try beyond just changing the colour of a light bulb. IFTT has some other cool functions such as creating party modes, or having the bulb flash red when your Alexa timer goes off, or when you get a message etc.

One final point before I end my essay. Those Osram bulbs I bought are nowhere near as good as the Hue. Mainly because they have a buzzing noise when in blueish colours including white, plus the colours are not as strong so I certainly wouldn't recommend those. Hue is pricey but they work really well because they have been fine tuning them for a long time.

Edited by: "krisosbornenet" 20th Nov

20th Nov

do you need the philips bridge for it to work with echo? doesnt really mention that clearly enough

20th Nov

To add to the above, this is what I can and do use my bulbs for:

I use it for home automation in conjunction with smartthings- It looks like I'm in when I'm out- Lights come on when I walk in to rooms at different brightness' depending on the time of day- Lights turn red if the alarm is triggered- I have other notifications which flash or colour bulbsUsing phone apps you can then do other things:- Various active lighting effects, such as candle light flickering (via OnSwitch)- Holiday effects ideal for the kids! (via Hue Fireworks, Hue Xmas, Huelloween)- For parties, flash the lights to the music (via Hue Disco)- For films change the colours of the lights to match the film scene for immersive films (via Phillps TV with ambilight or via Hue Camera app point it at the TV and it captures what's on the screen, Sync My Lights is also another option but haven't actually tried it and limited to a set selection of films)- General lighting scenes and effects (via iConnectHue - This is the app Hue should have released! But be ware additional scenes etc are additional purchases!)- Hue Labs - Part of the hue app.. they are starting to do better here for certain home automation etc.. but if fairly limited and many are not very good.. the candle effect in OnSwitch is actually like a candle, the version in Hue labs is like an annoying child constantly playing with the brightness control..

I was given these as a gift. They were a novelty for a couple of weeks …I was given these as a gift. They were a novelty for a couple of weeks with the kids, now we only use them as basic white lightbulbs. Total waste of money. There are much cheaper Chinese equivalents now for around £7 a bulb. Phillips need to drop their excessive prices.

Only a waste of money if you don't understand what they do and don't use them to their potential. The Chinese equivalents are cheap for a reason.

Yes, unless you get the new echo plus.. I assume that will also work with …Yes, unless you get the new echo plus.. I assume that will also work with the colour bulbs, it ships with a white one.. Google is your friend..@krisosbornenet .. thanks for linking mysensors.org looks like a good site.. gives me another set of projects to work on!

@XEntity if you decide to give it a go let me know and I'll share what I've done and help with the bits to get you started.

£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my …£169.98 for 3 bulbs that change colour. That's nearly 7 months of my electricity bill. Can't understand why anyone would spend that much money to have a different colour light in their house. It would take years to recoup this money via energy saving compared to a normal bulb.Am I wrong? Please let me know. I'm not having a go at the op as a deal is a deal but have we all gone bananas?

They change the missus mood too... Woooaaa is sexy time... Speak to you later xx

Just seen that Amazon have updated their prices to £39.99 for the twin …Just seen that Amazon have updated their prices to £39.99 for the twin pack. So I've ordered from John Lewis, thanks.Posted the Amazon deal here.

@XEntity if you decide to give it a go let me know and I'll share what …@XEntity if you decide to give it a go let me know and I'll share what I've done and help with the bits to get you started.

Cheers! My first project will likely be using a wemos or similar and creating and IR receiver/transmitter and link in to smart things... If I can manage that then I can pretty much replicate the harmony hub for about a fiver!

I get what you are saying, they aren't cheap. However, it is actually 6 …I get what you are saying, they aren't cheap. However, it is actually 6 bulbs (still expensive I know) but there is a lot you are missing here. I have Hue all over my house now, because they regularly come up in offers and it is easy to add additional bulbs over time. Whilst certainly not cheap, it is quite easy to save a fortune picking them up in the deals over time. These obviously require a hub but that also has advantages. First off, the hub works without internet connection, whereas a lot of the cheap Chinese wifi (hubless) bulbs require an internet connection to work. Additionally, you can connect any compatible Zigbee Light Link (an official standard) bulb, so recently when Amazon had the Osram Lightify Colour bulbs for a tenner, I bought a couple and they connected to the bridge fine. I use a home automation controller (it runs on my home server, called Domoticz) so I now have cheap non Hue motion sensors in every room (made these DIY from Arduinos after learning about mysensors.org which is amazing if you want to start creating your own devices from scratch). When a motion sensor is triggered, if it is half hour before sunset or after sunrise, the light comes on. If there is no movement detected for a set time, the light goes off. Only reason I started all this was because the kids never turned off a light in the house! I also now have a sensor at my front door, so that when motion is detected at my door, the hallway light comes on in the house for 3 minutes. Useful for getting in at night. The point I am making is that Hue has a really good API to interact with the system so there is already a lot out there you can try beyond just changing the colour of a light bulb. IFTT has some other cool functions such as creating party modes, or having the bulb flash red when your Alexa timer goes off, or when you get a message etc. One final point before I end my essay. Those Osram bulbs I bought are nowhere near as good as the Hue. Mainly because they have a buzzing noise when in blueish colours including white, plus the colours are not as strong so I certainly wouldn't recommend those. Hue is pricey but they work really well because they have been fine tuning them for a long time.

Wow. You certainly are using you's to a high potential. I never thought about the timer thing. My kids are always illuminating the whole house to go into 1 room and never turn them off. Do Philips also make door closers to go on this system ....

Look, you don't like them. That's fine, but don't question those who do, …Look, you don't like them. That's fine, but don't question those who do, and are prepared to pay for them. It's their money, their choice what they do with it. I'm sure there are things that you spend money on that people could question.

Aye deeky, guilty as charged. I spend a bloody fortune on car polish and wax.😫

Really? What do you think of that Carplan No.1 stuff? I tried it nearly 2 …Really? What do you think of that Carplan No.1 stuff? I tried it nearly 2 weeks ago and it gave my 10 year old black car a lovely gloss. It's still beading now after 2 weeks.I know, I'm probably blaspheming

Never tried it but if it's still beading after 2weeks it's doing its job well.

Can anyone assure me that I'm not missing something? The white GU10 bulbs (spot lights) I can buy in packs of 2 in the John Lewis 3 for 2 deal. £99 will buy me 3 packs of 2 (IE £99 for 6 bulbs). However, there are no coloured GU10 bulbs that come in packs of 2 and therefore I would have to buy individually. They are still in the 3 for 2 however, but they are £99 for 3 packs of 1 (IE £99 for 3 bulbs). So, although on offer the coloured ones are twice the price of the white ones right? I would need 24 bulbs for my kitchen alone and not sure I can justify £800 on light bulbs! I have Hue bulbs around the house and love them, but if I want to 'Hue' my entire house whilst this deal is on, I think I'll predominantly be using white bulbs!

Can anyone assure me that I'm not missing something? The white GU10 bulbs …Can anyone assure me that I'm not missing something? The white GU10 bulbs (spot lights) I can buy in packs of 2 in the John Lewis 3 for 2 deal. £99 will buy me 3 packs of 2 (IE £99 for 6 bulbs). However, there are no coloured GU10 bulbs that come in packs of 2 and therefore I would have to buy individually. They are still in the 3 for 2 however, but they are £99 for 3 packs of 1 (IE £99 for 3 bulbs). So, although on offer the coloured ones are twice the price of the white ones right? I would need 24 bulbs for my kitchen alone and not sure I can justify £800 on light bulbs! I have Hue bulbs around the house and love them, but if I want to 'Hue' my entire house whilst this deal is on, I think I'll predominantly be using white bulbs!

Same situation as me. I have 12 GU10s in the kitchen and 4 in the bathroom. However having bought 'colour ambience' B22 and E27 bulbs they are a bit of a novelty for me, so I don't mind having white-only in these rooms.

I've considered the Innr GU10s which apparently are Hue-compatible, however I'm undecided whether I'm now a Philips' sheep or just paranoid, but I'm worried that Philips would make a software update at some point in the future and any 3rd-party devices would cease to work. The savings would add up though.

Same situation as me. I have 12 GU10s in the kitchen and 4 in the …Same situation as me. I have 12 GU10s in the kitchen and 4 in the bathroom. However having bought 'colour ambience' B22 and E27 bulbs they are a bit of a novelty for me, so I don't mind having white-only in these rooms.I've considered the Innr GU10s which apparently are Hue-compatible, however I'm undecided whether I'm now a Philips' sheep or just paranoid, but I'm worried that Philips would make a software update at some point in the future and any 3rd-party devices would cease to work. The savings would add up though.I bought the GU10s in the John Lewis deal anyway...

My dad got an Innr bulb for the kitchen and it was hooked up to his hue hub and working fine until last week. At some point the hub lost connection with the bulb and I could not for the life of me get it working again.

I gave him one of my spare hue bulbs and it worked right away so it does look like they have made some update that has killed off the compatibility of the Innr bulbs, either that or my dads bulb is just dodgy.

Either way I would stick with the official ones when deals like this come along.